There will be an answer; let it be, let it be. — Paul McCartney
My biggest challenge so far has been… wait for it… you guessed it… CULLING!
| Main Entry: |
cull [kuhl] Show IPA
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | pick out for reason |
| Synonyms: | choose, discriminate, elect, extract, glean, mark, opt for, optate, pluck, prefer, select,sift, single out, take, thin, thin out, winnow |
There is so much out there on iPads and literacy that my biggest challenge is winnowing it into short, usable ‘blips’ on our website. I keep thinking of more things to add that other educators might find useful, and then when I click on one website, I end up looking at 4 more, then 2 apps, then a video… and agh, I forget what I’m looking for in the first place! I need to let it be. I need to remember Julie’s and my objective of keeping our website simple.
Bear in mind, I don’t even ‘know’ if some of these ideas or apps are that great… I haven’t tried them out in my Grade 5 classroom! Instead, I am basing my inclusion of them on a cursory read and a quick think about whether I think the idea or app is implementable and helps students learn. I feel bad that I haven’t officially tried them in the classroom or reviewed them for longer. As I try the ideas out in the fall term, I plan on CULLING from the website again, if necessary. Who wants to use, or has time for, a tool or idea that isn’t that great, after all?
I found today’s discussion of blind spots and blind sights interesting. I think I’m guilty of having a blind spot or bias towards teachers who DON’T use tech… one teacher at our school proudly said she only turned her SMARTboard on twice this year… I definitely formed a negative impression of her teaching! I have a bias! Then 9 of her students were in my class and they were superb readers and writers, and comfortable with technology. I’m not sure what to make of that but wanted to share. I guess it’s not a blindsight as I am aware of my bias!
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Imagine spending all those educational dollars on equipping a classroom with a smartboard and the teacher is proud to say that they don’t use it. I’m sure there are other teachers hungrily looking at that gear and saying, “Well, bring it over here.” Teachers who don’t use ICT for learning do not prepare their students to use ICT for learning. Students will learn to use ICT for learning if they are given the opportunity. It is constantly varied and variable.